Occasionally, when none of the College's 20 men's and women's varsity teams have a home match, students might still have an itch to watch some sports.
Lucky for them, Charleston is home to three professional sports teams and a host of major sporting events.
The Charleston RiverDogs baseball team opens its season in April, playing at the downtown Joe Riley Stadium, affectionately known by locals as "The Joe." There, the Class A New York Yankees affiliate earns as much attention for its on-field play as for the management's off-field antics, such as the time team leaders locked fans out of the stadium until the fifth inning in a bid to lay claim to the worst attendance record for a baseball game in history.
That bizarre episode was perhaps only matched by the time the RiverDogs tried to play the quietest game in history. Fans taped their mouths shut for the game, and librarians took the place of the stadium's ushers, shooshing those who broke the silence.
When students want a break from America's No. 1 pastime and wacky promotions, they can head to Daniel Island to watch the Charleston Battery soccer team play. The Battery is consistently one of the top teams in the United Soccer Leagues, and in 2003 captured the league championship.
When the Battery and RiverDogs hang up their cleats in September, the South Carolina Stingrays take to the ice in North Charleston. The ECHL AA hockey team and affiliate of the NHL's Washington Capitals have won two league championships in the last 12 years, including the 2008-2009 title.
In April, Daniel Island hosts the Family Circle Cup, a Women's Tennis Association tournament featuring the world's top players. In 2008, Serena Williams triumphed over Vera Zvonareva in the championship game.
Also in April, what is undoubtedly the region's biggest sporting event of the year – and one in which many College students participate – is the Cooper River Bridge Run. Nearly 40,000 people run and walk the 6.2-mile racecourse over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and through downtown Charleston. Some of the world's top runners compete in the race, with male runners finishing the course in less than 30 minutes!
